To wake up to the calls of myriads of birds and the song of the oriental magpie robin is magic. You will see the resident monitor lizard, and passing boats.
Staying in a traditional Thai house on a khlong is a priviledge. Mind you, since the house that we rented (there are several houses on the property) had no glass windows, whenever we stayed inside with the aircon on, we had to close the shutters and turn on the lights.
There are very few decent places to eat nearby. Excellent reason to use the kitchen with its good burners and woks (I bought and left behind a rice cooker and a big wok), visit the nearby market every morning, and hone your Thai food cooking skills! You may never have an opportunity like this again. It's exhilarating.
We communicated online with Sirichan in English when booking, but we did not see her during our two-month stay. Am, who was our on-site host, made up for not speaking English by being adorable. She let us taste her food and gave me a few tips when I was cooking. She may cook your meals for you, for a reasonable fee.
Your gateway to the city is Pho Nimit, a skytrain station at ten to fifteen minutes walking distance. Excellent coffee there, next to the 7-eleven. Three stops from Pho Nimit is Saphan Taksin, with a Robinson's department store, a Tops supermarket below and a food court at the back. The Icon Siam mall can be reached by courtesy boat shuttle from there, or by changing trains at Krung Thonburi.